What you need to know
- Earlier in 2021, Vicarious Visions was moved from under Activision to Blizzard Entertainment.
- The studio previously worked on games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2.
- According to a new report, Vicarious Visions will be losing its name as part of the merger.
Vicarious Visions will be losing its name and possibly be fully branded as part of Blizzard Entertainment, according to a report from Polygon. The developer's employees were reportedly told on Wednesday that the studio name would be dropped. While a new name was not given, some employees speculate that it could be Blizzard Albany.
Vicarious Visions was previously moved from under the Activision wing of the company to Blizzard Entertainment, with the studio's first project being to assist on Diablo 2: Resurrected. At the time, Blizzard Entertainment noted the team's distinct name and role on the development of the game.
"For all of the leadership's talk about being more transparent in response to the lawsuit and resulting fiasco, the fact they decided to blindside us all with this feels about as far from transparent as you can get," an employee reportedly told Polygon.
Blizzard Entertainment parent company Activision Blizzard currently faces a lawsuit, alleging that a "frat boy culture" and sexist workplace behavior were allowed to persist. Since the allegations were made public, numerous Blizzard employees were let go from the company, including the prior game director on upcoming action role-playing game Diablo 4 and the namesake for the Overwatch hero previously named McCree.
An additional 20 employees were recently let go from Activision-Blizzard, though the company is seeking a pause in the lawsuit to investigate alleged ethical violations by California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) lawyers.
We've reached out to Blizzard Entertainment PR for comment and will update this story if we receive a response.
